22d ago in Local Guides
Porto, PT
The Lannisters send their regards.
Visiting Porto, Portugal in 2023 (with amigos) proved to be one of the best travel adventures I’ve embarked on.
This city is a surprise. A fantasy football sleeper if you will. It’s got everything people look for in an ideal European destination. There is world class food, beaches, culture, and people. And, it's absurdly cheap compared to its European competition.
Activity Recs
Praia de Matosinhos (Beach) - Gorgeous beachfront located an uber ride from central Porto. Pack your bag for a day amongst the ocean. Bring a book, frisbee, football, and a credit card for your next surf lesson.
WOW (World of Wine) Cultural District - Walk across the Dom Luis Pedestrian Bridge over the Douro River to visit the world of wine. This cultural hub was born through renovating port wine warehouses into a display of Porto’s personality. Enjoy art, food, and wine tasting. Try the local Port wine, but keep it to one glass. You’ll stay upright and avoid a splitting headache the next morning.
Sardine factory - Also known as Conservas Pinhais factory tour. We were recommended this tour by the sommelier (networking) guiding our wine journey at WOW. Find yourself immersed in the world of sardines. Enjoy cringy recorded content, followed by a smelly factory tour, manual labor, and finally sardines for the table and drinks. It has ups and downs, but is 100% worth the visit and sheds light on a portion of the local economy.
Palace Gardens - A recommendation from a local barista (talk to people). This is a low cost, wonderful morning or afternoon walk. Observe the local biodiversity of plants, and animals. The gardens feature wonderful aerial views of the city.
CrossFit Durius - I recommend dropping into a CrossFit gym whenever traveling, even if you’re not about that CrossFit life. The people are friendly, and they share local tips. They don’t care if you’ve got dubs (double unders...with a jump rope).
Food Recs
O Robalo ($$) - Got fish? The best lunch in the city. Choose your fresh catch of the day located on ice at the storefront. It will be prepared within 10 feet of your table before they present it with sides of vegetables and bread. The primitive cooking style and presentation makes for a clean, delicious meal.
Bacalhau ($$) - Enjoy dinner at a Michelin recommended restaurant.
Nola Kitchen ($) - The right way to start your day. Excellent, healthy breakfast, enjoyed on an outdoor patio in the heart of the city.
Meu Açaí Express ($) - “The best açaí I’ve ever had.” - anonymous, unbiased source. Order açaí and a savory crepe as another option in your breakfast rotation.
Elemento ($$$) - Absolute fire (literally)! An affordable, Michelin star restaurant known for fine fire dining. Order without fear and enjoy an incredible experience.
Dissuasions
Tourist restaurants - As always, do your research (or reference this newsletter) when picking meals in new cities. Oftentimes, the flashy restaurant that looks like a great idea, is not. Take the extra 5 minutes and dine like the father-slaying roman emperor in Gladiator.
Estimated cost key
- $ ($0-20 pp)
- $$ ($20-40 pp)
- $$$ ($40+ pp)
Streaming Rec:
24 Hours in the Highest City on Earth (w/ No Laws): I came across this YouTube feature from Yes Theory this past month. They visit La Rinconada, the highest settlement in the world (16,732 ft.), in the Peruvian Andes. This town hosts a population of around 30,000 residents along with thousands of migrants throughout the year.
It is a mining town. Meaning, it is primarily run by the companies who own the mines.
Miners work under the cachorro system. This means they work 30 days at the mine for FREE. After 30 days, they get 1 day to take as much ore as they can carry. They keep whatever gold or mineral value is in the ore. Labor roulette if you will. Some may receive a huge payday, while others are not compensated for their work.
The town boasts no sanitation systems, two showers, mercury filled water, and no laws.
This is a fascinating, and heavy 30 minute watch.
Song Rec:
S P E Y S I D E - Bon Iver
Quote to consider:
"Let me tell you what we think. You begin when you are little to work hard. After you get to be men, you build big houses, big towns, and everything else in proportion. Then, after you have got them all, you die and leave them behind. Now, we call that slavery. You are slaves from the time you begin to talk until you die; but we are free as air... Our wants are few and easily supplied. The river, the wood and plain yield all that we require. We will not be slaves; nor will we send our children to your schools, where they only learn to become like yourselves." - Hampton Sides, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West
This quote peaked my interest. Hampton Sides references a Navajo (Diné) placed on the Bosque Redondo reservation speaking with an American.
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